CHRISTMAS IN THOUSAND AND ONE COLORS
From November 23rd to January 5th 2020, for the 14th time, “Vaux-le-Vicomte celebrates Christmas” with the château transforming itself into a Palace of Enchantment in a thousand-and-one colors to celebrate Christmas!
Visitors are invited to discover a highly-colorful Christmas through magical illuminations; the formal reception rooms each dressed in a different color, providing visitors with surprises at every turn… the courtyards, the outbuildings, the château and the gardens – à la française will be transformed into a world of marvels, where illuminations and activities will offer the promise of an enchanted moment out of time for the whole family.
A marvelous, colorful universe!
From the moment they arrive, visitors discovers the Musée des Équipages entirely transformed into a fairytale world smelling of strawberries and frost-covered pine trees.
Pink, yellow and blue succeed one another in marvelous equestrian scenes, exotic moving bears and a frosty world. The last room of the museum is visited in black light (ultraviolet), rendering seemingly enchanted carriages phosphorescent.
Christmas trees, presents and garlands of lights decorate The Cour des Equipages, the Cour d’honneur and the façade of Nicolas Fouquet’s Palace, to enchant visitors of all ages.
The walk, leading visitors to the entrance of the château is framed by lighted Christmas trees, a magic road toward a fantasy universe…
The château of a thousand-and-one colors
In the château, the reception rooms flow one into another with no two alike: The Grande Chambre Carrée proposes a warm atmosphere of autumnal tones, whereas The Salon des Muses glitters with a thousand silver decorations.
In The Cabinet des Jeux, a tea room is installed, decorated with unique creations in chocolate imagined by The Comptoir du Cacao, while there is a magnificent Christmas table set by Villeroy & Boch, all in crimson red in The Antichambre d’Hercule.
The Library is decked in copper, a décor reminiscent of English end-of-the-year festivities.
The Grand Salon, the central room of the château, is also its most dazzling masterpiece: here the public discovers a pyramidal, revolving manger scene, entirely gilded, and 8 meters-high.
This never-before-seen, rotating creation is the work of the decorator of the château, Eric Naudin, made specifically for Christmas 2019. The manger scene, of German inspiration, necessitated 6 months of work by a team of 5.
This monumental edifice overlooks more than 60 gilded pines, among which animals are hidden, enlivened by the rich amber colors of The Maison Michel Taillis.The 270 square meters of the room will intoxicate visitors with its fragrance of honey and the glittering of golden lights…
After we discover The Chambre du Roi, where the foliage and hummingbirds in various shades of green are reminiscent of the rich decoration of the hanging in this completely exceptional room.
This year, The Salle des Buffets has been transformed into a frosty universe. Its winter landscape surprises all visitors, who discovered an animated bear driving a veritable sleigh!
On the lower ground floor, in The Salle des Gens, visitors discovered The estate of Vaux-le-Vicomte -in cake! The château, a sculpture-cake 1.2 meters high signed s Bastien Blanc Tailleur, and towers above a delicious garden à la française in chocolate. As for the kitchens, they have been transformed by the marvelous exhibition of sweet treats in pink thanks to Maison Fossier.
Over all the château, real fires in the chimneys and Christmas songs completes the magic, timeless ambiance…
An illuminated fairytale garden
Once in the garden, the surprises are only beginning for the visitor: the château has magnificent outdoor decorations including a brand-new, redecorated parterre of flowers. A 5 meter-high squirrel- emblem of the first owner of the estate, Nicolas Fouquet welcomes the public, surrounded by giant lighted Christmas trees.
A food stand proposing Christmas specialties provides an opportunity for a cozy pause on The Terrasse du Bénitier, where games in wood are at your disposal, free of charge, to the delight of great and small.
In the gardens, children under the age of 6 receives a PAPO gift-surprise, a lovely souvenir of this magic day. Children from 7 to 17 will receive a chocolate biscuit from Maison Fossier!
Every day until 31 December, two golden hazelnuts hidden in the gardens allows the luckiest among visitors to win a bag of decorations by Noël Goodwill!
To pursue this marvelous adventure, carriage rides are proposed in the gardens à lafrançaise (extra charge).
At nightfall, the garden is illuminated by thousands of garlands of lights, making the boxwood and topiaries shimmer in their light. The new work of art on The Boulingrins, Ephemeral Ribbons by Patrick Hourcade, will be emphasized by enchanted lighting…
Christmas of solidarity: the wish trees
Vaux-le-Vicomte joins with The Croix Rouge to provide a beautiful Christmas for all children: during this event, children ware invited to bring a present to the Croix Rouge stand at the entry to the estate.
Each child who donates a present will be awarded a colourful ribbon to hang on a wish Christmas tree.
The presents collected by The Croix Rouge in Seine-et-Marne, will be wrapped and given to disadvantaged children and their families, who are invited free of charge by the estate on Saturday, January 4, to spend a magic, privileged moment.
Video mapping on the château. (New!)
This year, the estate presents a monumental projection covering the entire façade of the château! Perfectly conforming to the architecture and the decoration of the façade, this custom made mapping transforms the edifice into a dreamlike universe…
Thanks to the animated images and the sound track that goes with it, 5 scenes evoke and reinterpret in a poetic, artistic way, key moments in The history of Vaux-le-Vicomte. The sculptures, architecture and details of the monument are sublimated by the 3D effects of the innovative illuminations, against music blending baroque and contemporary, and various sound effects.
The projection, lasting a total of 8 minutes, runs every day, every 30 minutes from 5.30 PM to 7 PM (or more during rush hours).
After Christmas – The Three Kings!
From January 2 to 5, 2020, Vaux-le-Vicomte invites visitors to celebrate The Magi. A large favor in the shape of a squirrel, hidden in the gardens, will allow a lucky visitor every day to win a Three-Kings cake, made by the Pastry Chef of the château.
